Trail Blazers put 2009-10 season in perspective before leaving for the summer

Bruce Ely, The OregonianBrandon Roy leaves the court after the Blazers' season ended with a Game 6 loss to Phoenix.TUALATIN -- The Trail Blazers filed out of the practice facility one by one Friday afternoon, toting bags of shoes, talking about what ifs and teasing about the possibilities of the future. And one day after watching their season of adversity come to an end, two thoughts echoed most around their heads.

Remember this feeling. Remember the ultimate goal.

Those were the central messages during a team meeting, relayed by coach Nate McMillan, before the players cleared out their lockers and reflected on a season that started out with so much promise and expectation only to fizzle with a second consecutive first-round playoff exit.

And as the Blazers started looking back during what would seem to be a negative time, they adopted a surprisingly positive outlook.

It may have been a turbulent season, littered with injuries, illnesses and obstacles. It may have ended much sooner than originally hoped, with a Game 6 loss to the Phoenix Suns Thursday night. But, according to the players, the franchise also took a gigantic leap forward in its quest to win an NBA Championship.

"I see a lot of great things," starting small forward Nicolas Batum said about the future. "We can win the title next year."

There is an overwhelming feeling inside the organization that the challenges the Blazers endured this season have hardened and toughened the players and made the franchise more prepared to compete for a championship.

On the surface, this notion seems absurd. The Blazers won fewer games this season (50) than last (54), finished as the sixth seed rather than the fourth and saw everything come to an end in Game 6 of the first round of the Western Conference playoffs -- the precise place it ended in 2009.

Progress? Flash back to Sept. 23, when McMillan and general manager Kevin Pritchard gathered at the Rose Garden for media day, and it would seem this season has been a flop. On that day, the Blazers' braintrust outlined lofty goals: The Blazers would compete for a Northwest Division title, they would advance deep into the playoffs and perhaps even compete for a Western Conference championship.

But less than a month later, on the virtual eve of the regular season, the Blazers were dealt their first blow when it was learned that Batum needed surgery to repair a torn labrum in his right shoulder. The hits would seemingly never stop.

During Friday's season-ending team meeting, McMillan looked around the room at his players and asked how many had endured surgeries. The final tally was eight, not including McMillan, who ruptured his Achilles. Only two players, Andre Miller and Martell Webster, played in every game. Thirteen missed time due to injury or illness as players combined to miss 311 regular season games -- the second-most in the NBA.

Progress? According to the Blazers, winning 50 games is miraculous under such duress. And qualifying for the playoffs amid all the obstacles speaks volumes about the grit and character of the organization.

"Adversity comes in a lot of different ways," All-Star guard Brandon Roy said. "But the way you handle it is usually the sign of a team that can go forward and win a championship. I think we're closer to winning a championship. We're going to have to get better in the offseason. But we feel like this definitely wasn't a lost year. If I was to say this was a lost year, it would really be a slap in the face to everything we've done as a team and as an organization."

To be sure, the Blazers are choosing to focus on the positives of a bitter and discouraging ending. There are legitimate questions, and the answers -- to be determined in the months ahead -- will be an indicator of how close the Blazers truly are to competing for a title.

Is Rudy Fernandez, who fizzled in the playoffs, still a long-term piece of the Blazers' championship puzzle? Can Greg Oden and Joel Przybilla return healthy after missing most of the season with knee injuries? If so, how do they integrate with new center Marcus Camby? Is Jerryd Bayless the point guard of the future? Will Martell Webster ever develop into a consistent NBA player?

As the players left the practice facility Thursday, however, they were more apt to focus on the positives.

After a rocky start in Portland, Miller developed into a crucial and trusted player that epitomized the grit and perseverance the Blazers revealed all season. Looking back, one could argue that Pritchard signed the best free agent out of last summer's class when he inked Miller to a three-year deal that includes a team option.

Batum, despite missing the first 45 games of the season, established himself as a vital component of the franchise's future. Bayless showed flashes of breaking out and rookies Dante Cunningham and Jeff Pendergraph exceeded every expectation.

And perhaps more than anything, the biggest negative of the season -- injuries -- may just turn out to be the biggest positive of them all.

"The thing that helped us most, and it's unfortunate that it happened, but what helped a lot was the injuries," Webster said. "Because that allowed us to rally behind what we have in each other and become a 50-win team. Playing through adversity has really given us an identity that we won't back down to anybody, and I definitely tip my hat to my teammates. We did a great job this year."

Which leads back to one of McMillan's central messages. As much as he preached staying positive and upbeat, he believes at least one negative -- the pain of Thursday's loss -- should linger until training camp starts in October.

"Nate said remember this feeling so that it won't happen again," Batum said. "I don't like this feeling and I don't want to feel this again next year."